St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-06-08
to the people from time to time as
think they are needed. Yours truly,
Nnat AA<<G.
BRIDES OF THE MAD KING.
Tragic Ending OF a Strange Mania
of BaVarian Maidens.

Tragic Ending OF Strange Mania
OfBavarian MIaidens.
Chicago Times.
a curious feminine mania is called to
mind by the tragic event at Munich.
Two young ladies of that eity-baron-
esSeS-have committed suicide by
drowning in the Starnberg lake, at the
very spot where the mad King Louis
drowned himself last year. The names
of these ladies are familiar to all who
have been admitted to the best Munich
society. They were sisters, aged
twenty-three and twenty-siX, and were
famed for their beauty. Their family
is Il very noble and wealthy one.
The mania to which they fell
victims had its origin fifteen or
sixteen years ago. The young king
fame. His ideally handsome likeness
was to be seen everywhere, and every
where you heard talk of his poetic
melancholy, his romantic spirit, and his
confirmed celibacy. Naturally he be-
came an object of intense interest to
sentimental young ladies. Presently,
among the other absurd tales that were
told of him, there went abroad the story
that he spent most of his time i'll wan
dering about his kingdom in disguise.
He haunted shady lanes and romantic
spots, seeking for some fair maiden
who should be his chosen bride. Well,
this silly tale was believed and set
thousands of hearts to tluttering. Each
maiden wondered if she would be his
choice if he CHANGED to meet her under
the lime-trees. And she hesitated to
plight her troth to her village lover until
she should have had chance to meet
the king.
So it came to pass that in the village
OF Bertoldshofen, in the romantic noun
tain region of Southern Bavaria, the
maidenS formed themselves into a sort
of siSterhood. They pledged themselves
to each other not to marry until they
were sure the king had passed them by.
Each was to wear his likeness next her
bosom, and each was to choose for her
self secret bower where at eVentide
she should await his coming. A more
foolish scheme, probably, never was de-
viSed by the silly brains of lOve-Sick
| school girls. But more than score of
BertOldShofen maidenS entered into 1t
with the zeal and devotion of nuns.
| The fame of this sisterh0od spread to
other villages, to towns and cities-nay
to Munich itself. Rustic wencheS and
the petted beauties of princely palaces
alike caught the mad disease. With
in a year not less than 10000 young
women, all through Bavaria, had taken
upon themselves the ''vows of Ludwig"
and were waiting for their king. In
time many of these girls imagined they
| had been seen and passed by by the
king, and, thus freed from their vows,
accepted humber husbands. Others
grew tired of waiting and broke their
VOWS. Still others waited and waited
| in vain. until all other SuitorS had passed
them by; and they are waiting still and
will be waiting all their lives. But as
the ranks of the original siSterhOodS
were thinned new recruits were added
and the brides of Ludwig" were still
counted by thousands. 1t is estimated
that there were no less than 1000 of
them at the time of his suicide.
When the news of that tragedy
became known they forthwith put
OH mourning and called themselves 1.-The
widows of Ludwig" Many of them
took solemn vows of lifelong celibacy,
as token of faithfulneSs to his mem
DRY. Among these latter two of the
most devoted were the young baron
| eSseS of Munich to whom we have re-
| ferred. They constantly wore the deep
est mourning, secluded themselves from
all social pleasures, and drove them
| selves into confirmed melancholy. Every
week they went to Starnberg and threw
garlands of flowers into the water at the
| spot where the king was drowned. FL
nally they determined to share his fate.
They arrayed themselves as brides, even
to donning wells and orange blossoms,
rowed out into the lake to the spot where
he was drowned, and threw themselves
into the water. Their bodies were found
next day, claSped in each others arms,
and with portraits of the mad king next
their hearts.